


A Million Dreams (For The World We're Gonna Make)

by Hcpelesshcney



Series: song fics [2]
Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Crushes, F/F, F/M, First Crush, First Dates, First Love, First Relationship, M/M, Song fic, romeo and juliet complex, the one who (almost) got away, this is legit all because of the greatest showman y'all it owns my gay heart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2018-08-28
Packaged: 2019-06-20 04:18:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15525891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hcpelesshcney/pseuds/Hcpelesshcney
Summary: Buffy wakes up just as they pass the WELCOME TO CAMBRIA sign. It feels like her skin is buzzing, her heart pulling her closer and closer to the beach house, to her second home. Her father had switched the radio from the mixed CD he’d been playing in the mountains to the local top-40 station, the one he knew she adored. She smiles over at him, suddenly brighter and more alive than she’d been in a while. Cambria did that to people. Or, it did that to her, at least.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Oof, two fics in as many days? Who am I. It's juffy this time tho! So,,,, hopefully that makes up for yesterdays tyrus angst lmao. 
> 
> This is going to be a multichater fic for once, which is like,,,, also way out of my comfort zone but it needed to be done. Based on The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han and the song A Million Dreams from The Greatest Showman. 
> 
> A huge, huge, huge amount of thanks to my betas- Emma, Rachel, and Julez. I love you guys so much and this fic definitely would not have been possible without your constant nagging- I mean, persuading, to get it started.

For most people, summer starts with the end of school. For Buffy Driscoll, summer didn’t officially start until she and her father hopped into their beat up, forest green pickup truck and headed west, towards the beach. Ever since she was little, her family had taken the trip to Cambria, California to spend the summer. They shared a cozy two-story house on right on the beach with two different families—The Macks and the Goodmans, conveniently known as Buffy’s best friends. 

 

“Are we there yet?” Buffy asks, even though she knows the answer. Her father looks over at her, then reaches out and turns the radio down. 

 

“Buff, you know this drive as well as I do.” 

 

“Probably better, Dad.” 

 

“Oh, hush up. You know the answer to that question anyway.” 

 

She sinks back into her seat, sighing. Why couldn’t they just  _ be _ there already? Why did the drive have to take so  _ long _ ? It felt like they’d been on the road for ages, only stopping to use the bathroom or reload up on gas and snacks. The closer they got to Cambria, the more Buffy felt it pull at her chest. It was like she was physically connected to the town, to the beach, to the people. She missed all of her friends there, and definitely couldn’t wait to catch up with Andi and Cyrus later that day. 

 

“Close your eyes, pumpkin. Take a nap. We’ll be there when you wake up.” Her father turns the radio back up, and Buffy does as she’s told. She leans the seat as far back as it will go, pillows her head on her arm, and closes her eyes. The rock of the truck lulles her right to sleep. 

 

* * *

 

She wakes up just as they pass the  _ WELCOME TO CAMBRIA _ sign. It feels like her skin is  _ buzzing _ , her heart pulling her closer and closer to the beach house, to her second home. Her father had switched the radio from the mixed CD he’d been playing in the mountains to the local top-40 station, the one he knew she adored. She smiles over at him, suddenly brighter and more alive than she’d been in a while. Cambria did that to people. Or, it did that to her, at least. 

 

“Almost there,” her father says, a smile on his face, too. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he was looking forward to the time off almost as much as Buffy was. After the past two years they’d had, they deserved it. 

 

The pickup rumbles down an unpaved road. Buffy rolls her window down with the manual crank, sticking her head out. The wind holds the salt from the sea, and they’re so close now that she can hear the waves crashing. Three, two, one…

 

They pull to a stop in front of a two-story house, faded blue paint rubbing off the wood. Buffy’s father honks the horn three times, the signal all the families used to call out their arrival. People come pouring out of the house—Andi and Cyrus first, and then all of the parents. Buffy hops out of the truck just in time to have her friends barrel into her, hugging her with so much force they nearly topple over. 

 

“I missed you guys, too,” she laughs, sandwiched between Andi and Cyrus. They cling together, having not seen each other since two summers before. All three of them lived in different cities. Andi grew up in Cambria, while Cyrus lived twelve hours north in Oregon, and Buffy lived east in Utah.

 

Their families had known each other since high school, all of them grew up together here in this tiny beach town. But one by one they moved away, except for the Macks. The three families had been coming back to Cambria every summer, piling into the Macks’ beach house like they were related. Everyone was so close, they may as well have been. 

 

For Buffy, summer was less about the freedom and more about Cambria. Not even just the town, but everything it held, everything it stood for. The beach house that held more memories than Buffy herself did. The sweet tea Elaina Goodman made in the sun on the back steps. The tiny boutiques down by the boardwalk that still sold bracelets and rings for a handful of dollars. The  _ people _ . Buffy had tried before to imagine what her friends would look like during the school year—Cyrus and Andi all bundled up in copper colored sweaters and thick knitted scarves, drinking hot cocoa with miniature marshmallows and whipped cream, but it never felt real. She didn’t know the winter versions of her friends, but that was okay. She’d take sunscreen and swimming in the pool after midnight and laughing over barbecue any day of her life. 

 

Buffy closes her eyes, falling into the hug to ground herself after the 15 hour drive. The ocean was so close that the air was damp. The wind still held the laughter Buffy and her friends shared from… before. 

 

Buffy pulls away from the hug, suddenly chilled. She hated thinking like that—like her life was a book cut into pieces; before and after. Before she lost her mom. Before her father got the call that she had been killed in action.  _ Before _ . The after was the hardest part. Trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life while also helping her dad pick up his, not that he really let her. She never even really saw him cry over her mom. At least, not when he could help it. But she forces a smile, pushes the thoughts of last April away. She’s here now, in Cambria with her friends—her  _ family _ . There was no use in dwelling on the past. 

 

“Buffy,” Andi says, snapping her out of her thoughts “There’s so much you missed last summer. It’ll take all night to fill you in.” 

 

“You have until supper,” her mom, Bex, cuts in, passing them to help unload the Driscoll’s truck, “then you’ll have to put it on pause.” 

 

The kids nod, letting the adults deal with the luggage while they race inside, cutting through the hallway and bounding up the stairs. Buffy knows this route by heart, could navigate it with her eyes closed, but when she comes to a halt just outside of Andi’s room, it feels like she’s frozen. 

 

Everything about the room is different. It no longer had the floral print wallpaper that Bex picked out before Andi was born, but was now painted cream, with one wall converted into a chalkboard. The white wicker bed frame was swapped out for a black metal one, twice the size of the old twin. Even the dresser is different. 

 

“Mom helped me fix it up last year.” Andi says, resting her chin on Buffy’s shoulder. “Did I forget to tell you?” 

 

Buffy purses her lips, not wanting to admit how unsettled she felt at the change. Cambria wasn’t supposed to  _ change _ . “I… like it. It’s very you.” 

 

They walk inside, Buffy and Cyrus sitting down on the bed, facing each other. Andi pulls up the chair from her vanity, flipping it around so that she’s able to rest her arms on the backrest. 

 

“We missed you last year.” Cyrus says, and bless his heart, at least he’s honest. “How are you holding up?” 

 

Buffy shrugs. She knew this was coming, but didn’t think it would happen so soon. She thought that maybe they’d be able to gossip about the school year drama that had built up, at least for a while. No such luck. “All things considered? I’m okay. It’s… still difficult, y’know? Being back here without her, without even the option of her showing up, is kinda surreal. Dad said this was what she’d want, though, and I’ve missed you guys like crazy, so it’s okay.” 

 

“We missed you, too, Buffy.” Andi chimes, holding out her hand for Buffy to take. Buffy smiles softly, thankful that at least this much is normal. 

 

“Okay, so, enough of the sad stuff.” Buffy finally says, settling back against the pile of pillows at the headboard of the bed, “What’s new with you guys? Cyrus? You look like you’ve been holding a secret in for months.” 

 

“Well… remember that boy I told you about a couple summers back? Tyler?” Cyrus sits crisscross, resting his elbows on his knees. 

 

Andi leans forward, nearly tipping her chair over. “What about him? Did you—? Are you—?” 

 

“Hold on, hold on! Okay, so he goes by TJ now, and oh my gosh guys, I think I’m in love!” 

 

Buffy laughs, “Are you really now?” 

 

“Yes! Buffy, I’m totally serious, don’t laugh at me. We started dating back in December. He’s so sweet.” Cyrus rests his head in his hands, a dreamy smile tugging at his lips. Buffy scoots over to him, throwing an arm around his shoulder to pull him close. They fall over each other, laughing. 

 

“I’m happy for you, Cy. I really am.” 

 

Andi climbs onto the bed with them, sandwiching Cyrus between Buffy and herself. “Why didn’t you tell us sooner? Write an email! Shoot a text! Call us!” 

 

Cyrus smiles at her sheepishly, “I meant to, but…” 

 

“But we always wait until summer.” Buffy fills in for him. He looks at her, nodding because she took the words right out of his mouth. It made sense, the three of them always held in the important stuff until they met up again in person. They had all of each other’s contact information, and would shoot off texts whenever they could, but living so far away from everyone meant that sometimes things got lost in the fray. Buffy wasn’t going to fault any of them for it. 

 

“Mom and Dad are having another baby.” Andi says, continuing the conversation. Both Cyrus and Buffy whip their heads towards her. She shrugs, like it’s not a big deal. “They wanted to tell everyone at dinner tonight. Don’t tell them I told you.” 

 

“Wow that’s… crazy, Andi.” Buffy has no clue what to even say. Congratulations, maybe? There was going to be such a big age gap between Andi and her new sibling, how would she even manage? 

 

“Yeah, it’s… different? I don’t know, I’m kind of excited but also a little jealous.” She shrugs again, “Like, that baby’s going to grow up actually knowing our parents are  _ our parents _ . That’s something I didn’t have for years. Is it weird to be upset about that?” 

 

Cyrus frowns, pulling her closer into their lopsided hug, “It’s not weird. Your feelings are totally valid.”

 

“Totally.” Buffy echos, “It makes sense.” 

 

Andi nods, and then changes the subject. It’s easy, falling back into the rhythm of things. Like no time has even passed at all.

 

* * *

Dinner that night is a take-and-bake pizza from the parlor downtown,  _ When In Rome _ . Bex makes a comment about how they need to take a trip to the grocer’s to restock for the summer, but no one really cared that it wasn’t a home-cooked meal. 

 

The group eats outside, the kids on a jean blanket laid out on the beach. The adults lounging on the porch—Andi’s parents on the wooden porch swing; Cyrus’ dad, stepmom, and baby sister on the stairs; Buffy’s dad in a fold out chair. They chatter about nonsense things, laughing and joking the night away. It’s a comfortable situation, and Buffy is so thankful that she feels at home still. 

 

“Do you remember the old Wheeler house? The one up on the hill south of town?” Andi is settled on her stomach, ripping her pizza slice into pieces before popping them into her mouth. Cyrus sits beside her, at the edge of the blanket with his bare feet in the sand. 

 

Buffy nods, “Yeah. What about it?” 

 

“Some family bought it a couple months into the school year. The Becks, I think?” 

 

“Oh, really?” It feel weird, knowing that there’s a new family in town. No one ever really moved to Cambria. Not unless there was already a family member or close friend living in the community. “Have you met the kids?” 

 

“Yeah. They have two, a boy and a girl. The girl’s name is Janelle. She’s a sophomore in high school now. Super cool looking. Dyes her hair crazy colors all the time. The boy’s name is Jonah. He’s our age. Captain of some frisbee team or something.” 

 

“A frisbee team? What a geek.” Buffy laughs, trying to imagine what he might look like. She shakes her head, completely unable to. 

 

“He’s alright, I guess. Amber’s friends with him.” 

 

“Woah, wait, Amber? As in the girl who locked you in the closet at Dairy Queen in sixth grade? When did you start hanging out with Amber?” 

 

Andi cringes, barely visible. “ _ About _ that.” 

 

Buffy sets her pizza slice down because knowing herself as well as she did, she would have managed to throw it into the sand while gesturing around with her hands. She raises an eyebrow, suspicious. “What do you mean  _ about that _ ?” 

 

“We’re… dating.” 

 

“You’re  _ WHAT _ ?” 

 

Andi shushes her friend, eyes wide. They all look back towards the adults, worried they heard them. Everyone was too engrossed in their personal conversations to be paying much attention to them, though. “We’re dating,” she says again, “Since last summer. A lot has changed without you here.” At least she has the decency to look apologetic. 

 

“How did this even happen? I thought she hated us.” 

 

“No, she didn’t. She was just… going through some stuff.” 

 

“Stuff?” 

 

“Yeah. It’s not really my secret to tell. But the important part is that she apologized and wanted to start over with a clean slate. And then… things kinda changed.” 

 

“No kidding.” Buffy mutters, going back to her pizza. “Are you happy at least?” 

 

Andi nods, a small smile playing over her lips. “I am, yeah. Really happy.” 

 

“Alright.” 

 

Cyrus pushes his paper plate to the side, laying back on the blanket and resting his head on Buffy’s lap. He blinks up at her, and she scrunches her nose, making a face at him. “What about you, Buff? Any special person back home?” 

 

She shakes her head, expression turning sour. “No.” 

 

“No?” 

 

“No. I don’t date, Cy. You guys know that. We’re barely going to be freshmen this year, I don’t need a relationship.” 

 

Cyrus hums, shutting his eyes. “Really?”

 

“Really.” Buffy confirms, “More power to you guys. I’m good here with my pizza.” 


	2. Chapter Two

The first time Buffy had her heart broken, she was 5. It wasn’t romantic in the slightest, but rather the earliest memory she had of her mother leaving. 

 

As she grew up, Buffy learned that her mother didn’t have a choice whenever she disappeared for months at a time, it was just part of her job. She didn’t really want to leave Buffy behind with her father, even though Buffy thought she did for the first couple of years. 

 

But at 5—Buffy clung to her mother’s leg like she could keep her anchored in their apartment. Her mother carefully detached her, getting down on her knees to look Buffy in her eyes. 

 

“Sweet girl,” she had said, smoothing down Buffy’s thick, curly hair, “You know I love you, right?” 

 

Buffy nodded through the tears, bringing a tiny fist up to wipe them away. Her mother pulled her close, and Buffy remembers the way her cheek pressed into her mom’s collarbone. It felt like she was being ripped apart when her mother pulled away, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead before she stood and walked out the door, with only a moment’s hesitation. 

 

Buffy’s father picked her up once the door clicked shut, letting her scream and cry into the crook of his neck. She didn’t calm down for weeks afterward and spent every night curled up with her dad in her parents’ queen-sized bed, dried tear tracks on her cheeks.

 

She wakes with a jolt, chest heaving. Even ten years later, the memory made her sick. She closes her eyes again, but it doesn’t help any. 

 

_ Blink.  _

 

Her mother is laughing, twirling 6-year-old Buffy around in the airport when they’d gone to pick her up. 

 

_ Blink. _

 

A cell phone call cutting in and out on Buffy’s birthday. Her mother trying to tell her how sorry she was that she couldn’t be home. Buffy sobbing so hard in the bathroom her father had to send everyone home. 

 

_ Blink.  _

 

Everyone together again, standing in the ocean just behind the beach house. Her mother and father holding hands. Buffy laughing with Andi and Cyrus while they splashed water at each other.

 

_ Blink.  _

 

Waking up late at night to find her father crying in the kitchen, cellphone clutched in his left hand. 

 

_ Blink.  _

 

The funeral. Everyone in black. The military representatives handing her father a folded up flag. 

 

_ Blink.  _

 

_ Blink. _

 

_ Blink. _

 

Buffy throws the blanket off of her body, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. The clock on the nightstand flashes 2:36 A.M. in bright red, and she sighs. It had been less than three hours since she’d gone to bed, but there was no way she was going to fall back asleep any time soon. She pushes herself up off the bed, crossing the room and padding down the hallway to the stairs. There’s a light on, and Buffy finds herself heading towards it. 

 

Bex is sitting up in the kitchen, her hands wrapped around a ceramic mug. Buffy passes her, opening the cupboard above the dishwasher and grabbing a mug from the lower shelf. 

 

“It’s decaf.” Bex tells her, watching Buffy fill her mug with the coffee from the pot. 

 

“I don’t need the caffeine.” Buffy replies, ripping open three packets of raw sugar and dumping them into the coffee. She sits beside Bex at the counter, mixing the coffee with a thin metal spoon. “Can’t sleep either?” 

 

Bex takes a sip from her mug. “I’d like to have a talk with whoever decided morning sickness would be called  _ morning _ sickness, even though it’s really  _ all-the-damn-time _ sickness.” 

 

“All-the-damn-time sickness sounds so much worse, though.” 

 

“But it’s honest.” she says, then sighs. “You know, I never got sick when I was pregnant with Andi? Not once.” 

 

“Really?” Buffy swivels her stool to face Bex better. 

 

“Yep. She was like this good luck charm, even then.” 

 

“Wild.” 

 

Bex laughs, her eyes wrinkling at the corner the same way Andi’s do when she’s happy. “It is kind of wild, you’re right. What about you? Why are you up?” 

 

Buffy sighs, staring at her coffee instead of holding eye contact. “I had a… nightmare, I guess.” 

 

“Wanna talk about it?” 

 

“Uhm,” she hesitates, but then, “No. Not right now.” 

 

Bex nods, understanding, “Okay. We don’t have to. Are you up for a movie instead?” 

 

“Can we watch _Dirty_ _Dancing_?” 

 

“Of course.” 

 

* * *

 

Buffy wakes up again to sunshine sifting in through an open window. She must have fallen asleep during the movie, because she’s still on the couch, but she’s covered in a red Afghan blanket Bex must have tucked around her before heading back to bed. She sits up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. The rest of the house is still hushed, calm in the wake of last night’s chaos. She heads back up the her bedroom and flops down on her unmade bed, hoping to fall back to sleep, if even just for a little while. 

 

The hush doesn’t last. At least, Buffy is pretty sure it doesn’t last, because someone is knocking loudly on her door. Groaning, she goes to open it, face to face with an entirely too chipper Andi. 

 

“Good morning! Breakfast is ready. Eric made pancakes.” 

 

“Chocolate chip?” Buffy asks, leaving the door open as she recedes back into her room. Andi follows in after her, shutting the door so Buffy can get changed. 

 

“With banana, of course.” This is a given. The first breakfast of the summer, the one that Buffy counts anyway, is Eric Goodman’s famous chocolate chip banana pancakes. He goes all out, shopping early in the morning to pick up enough ingredients since Bex always forgets to go shopping before everyone arrives. It’s Buffy’s favorite meal, and she’s tried to recreate the recipe at home, but it never turns out quite the same. 

 

“Are we going into town today?” Buffy rummages through her suitcase, tossing bundles of clothes into her bed that she’ll leave until that night and then end up shoving into the dresser in the corner of the room. 

 

“Maybe. Amber wants to hang out later, so I was thinking the arcade.” 

 

Buffy stills. “Amber?” 

 

“Yeah. It’s not gonna be like a date or anything. You and Cyrus were invited, too.” 

 

“Of course we are.” Buffy tugs off her pajamas, replacing them with a red, white, and blue striped t-shirt and high-waisted shorts. Pulling her hair up into a bun, she turns to face her friend, who looks like she’s been hurt. 

 

“Buffy.” 

 

And that gets to her. She deflates, scrubbing a hand over her face. “No, it’s okay. I’ll go. Just—don’t make us feel like awkward add-ons, yeah?” 

 

Andi throws an arm around Buffy’s shoulder, pulling her in against her side. “I would never. Now c’mon, it’s pancake time.”

 

* * *

 

When they get to the dining room, everyone is already seated, still in their pajamas. Andi and Buffy are the only people dress for the day, which isn’t unusual at all, since they tend to rush out of the house as soon as breakfast is over. They sit down beside each other, naturally passing the food around and offering sides that each girl knew the other would enjoy. 

 

“So, what’s on the agenda today?” Buffy’s father asks, scraping scrambled eggs onto his plate. 

 

“Is it okay if we go into town? Andi wanted to go to the arcade.” It’s an easy enough white lie to tell, as close to the truth as she could get. After their conversation last night, Buffy knew Andi still wasn’t out to her family—not like Cyrus was, and there was no way she was going to even remotely give any of their parents a reason to think otherwise before Andi was ready.

 

“I don’t see why not.” Bex answers, “I need to go into town anyway to pick up more groceries, anyway.” 

 

“Oh, that’s okay,” Andi chimes in, “We can just take our bikes.” 

 

“Are you sure?” 

 

“Positive.” Andi nods, a finalizing gesture. The adults were usually alright with the kids going into town on their own, so long as they knew where they’d be. The fact that they all had cell phones now had to help. 

 

Cleaning up after breakfast takes half the time it usually does. The girls wash and dry off the dishes while Cyrus puts everything away, the adults taking a break after having cooked everything. Then they have to wait for Cyrus to get dressed, and a half hour later Buffy and her friends are dusting the bike off from the shed where they were stored for the winter. 

 

“You’re absolutely sure you want me and Cy around?” Buffy asks when they came to a stop at one of Cambria’s only intersections. “I mean, we could just go to the boardwalk or something.” 

 

Andi shakes her head, “No. Amber wants to… reintroduce herself to you. This isn’t a date, remember?” 

 

“It can’t be,” Cyrus adds, “with us there.” 

 

“You guys, stop. This is just another thing, okay?” And with that, Andi’s repositioning her feet and pushing off the sidewalk, pedaling her bike across the intersection and away from her friends. Buffy and Cyrus set off after her, weaving through the traffic on the sidewalk. 

 

The arcade is deeper in town that Buffy remembered, but when she arrived at the entrance, it at least still looked the same. She hops off her bike, locking it in the rack next to Andi’s. Cyrus does the same, and they walk into the arcade together.

 

“She’s supposed to be meeting us here, right?” Buffy slides into the seat across from Andi. The group had grabbed a booth in the dining area, already staking their claim for the day. Cyrus went off to purchase tokens for them to use on the games, leaving Andi and Buffy alone. 

 

Andi nods, checking her phone, “Yeah. She said she was on her way like five minutes ago.” 

 

“So, you’re really serious about her, huh?” 

 

“I mean, I know you think dating in high school is dumb or whatever but… yeah. I am.” 

 

“I never said dating was dumb, Andi.” Buffy sighs, taking a sip from the glass of water in front of her, “I just said it wasn’t for  _ me. _ ” 

 

“ _ Right _ . Because you have pizza.” 

 

“ _ Exactly _ .” 

 

Buffy takes another sip from her water, trying to appear as serious as possible. But then she’s laughing, and Andi is laughing, and any animosity from earlier dissolves in the air. Looking up from their table, Buffy notices Amber walking towards them, smiling bright, trailed by some…  _ boy? _

 

“Hey, I think Amber’s here.” She points out, nodding towards them, “But… who’s that with her?” 

 

Andi looks over her shoulder, then hops up and races over to meet them. “Jonah! Amber! Why didn’t you tell me he was coming with?” She hugs them each individually, giving neither of them the time to answer. 

 

“Buffy,  _ this _ is Jonah!” She adds, when they get to the table. Buffy does her best to smile, glancing between the three of them. “Jonah, this is Buffy. The girl I was telling you about.” 

 

“The one from out of town?” He offers, and Andi nods. She sits down with Amber, gesturing for Jonah to sit next to Buffy, who scoots over almost all the way to the wall. 

 

“I don’t bite.” Jonah jokes. 

 

Buffy rolls her eyes. “What if I do?” 

 

“ _ Buffy _ ,” Andi chides, but Jonah is giggling, actually  _ giggling _ , so really what’s the harm? 

 

Buffy smiles at him, glad someone gets her humor. “Y’know, you might just be alright.” 

 

“Might?” 

 

“We’ll see.” 


	3. Chapter 3

Try as she might, Andi does end up spending most of her time at the arcade with Amber. Buffy couldn’t entirely fault her for running off though, because if she had someone who made her as happy as Amber made Andi even just by  _ standing _ near her, she would have wanted to spend as much time with them as she could. As it were, Buffy was not going to admit that. With Andi and Amber paired off, Buffy spent most of the day hopping from one game to another with Cyrus and that new kid, Jonah. But then Cyrus got a phone call from TJ in Oregon, and the next thing she knew, she and Jonah were the only ones left. 

  


“So, Andi said you’re from Utah?” They’re back in the dining hall, sitting close to the entrance so they can keep an eye out for their friends. Jonah, for his part, is  _ trying _ to keep things from being awkward. Not that it works.

  


“Yeah, Shadyside.” she replies, unwrapping a straw and dropping it into her cup of vanilla sprite. She folds the paper wrapping into a tiny triangle, holding it on its corner between the table and her forefinger. “My family visits Cambria every summer.” 

  


“Oh really? Wicked.” He smiles, and if Buffy has noticed anything these past couple hours it’s that Jonah Beck never seems to  _ stop _ smiling. 

  


“I guess.” Buffy shifts in her seat, catching a glimpse of Andi and Amber ducking into a photo booth, laughing. “You’re new here, right? Why’d your family move to Cambria?” 

  


“Oh, uh,” Jonah hesitates, like he’s rolling the answer over in his mind, “My stepdad. His job, I mean. He got a transfer. Some insurance company, I think. I don’t really know.” 

  


“Oh, cool. Where’d you live before?” 

  


“L.A. It’s way different here.” 

  


Buffy laughs, just a little, and the smile that Jonah gives her in return feels like the sun. “No kidding. I’ve been all over the country, all over the  _ world _ practically. Utah is just the latest stop.” 

  


“Really? Why?” 

  


“My mom. She is—er,  _ was _ , in the military. So we moved around a lot.” 

  


“Was? What do you mean?” The confusion is something she can deal with. But pity? If he shows her pity she’s going to snap. 

  


“My mom, uhm, passed away. Last April.” 

  


Jonah frowns, and it feels heavy.  _ Here comes the pity _ , Buffy thinks, bracing herself.  _ Again _ . Except, he doesn’t comment on it. “Oh. My dad, too. Well, not  _ last  _ April, but back when I was 9. But I get it.” 

  


_ He gets it? _ “Oh.” 

  


And then Jonah is smiling again, like the air around them  _ didn’t  _ feel like it weighed a million pounds. “Wanna go play laser tag? I’m sure we can round up a team.” 

  


_ Thank god for Jonah Beck _ , Buffy thinks,  _ and his endless oblivion.  _ “Dude, yes. Let’s  _ go _ .” 

  


* * *

  


Gathering everyone up was… surprisingly easier than either of them thought it would be. Buffy managed to snag Andi and Amber while they were heading towards the dining area—to look for  _ them _ , Andi had said. To which Buffy replied,  _ likely story _ —and Jonah found Cyrus waiting for a skee ball machine to stop spitting out tickets. 

  


“So I talked to the person running the laser tag room,” Buffy says, once everyone is found and filled in, “And he said that since there’s only five of us, we can either do teams of two, one large team, or a free-for-all. We’d still need to wait for more people to join though.” 

  


“On a Saturday?” Amber looks around the room, her gaze sweeping over the dozens of other people in the arcade, “That shouldn’t take long.”

  


“I think we should do teams of two.” Andi says, and the fact that she’s linked pinkies with Amber isn’t lost on any of them. 

  


“I mean—.” Buffy starts, at the same time that Cyrus agrees with Andi. She adds, “But who’s going with who then?”

  


Andi and Cyrus look at each other, some nonverbal conversation Buffy feels left out of for once. 

  


“Andi and Amber, obviously.” Cyrus says at last, “And you and Jonah could partner up! You guys would make a great team.” 

  


Buffy frowns, eyebrows furrowed, “But that leaves just you, Cy.” 

  


He shrugs, like it’s no big deal, “The laser tag person said that we could wait for another group of people who wanted to play, right? I’ll just team up with one of them.” 

  


Buffy’s frown deepens, because she knows that Cyrus hates strangers. This all seems rather suspicious, but she lets it drop. “Okay, fine. Let’s go, Beck. You better be able to keep up.” 

  


Jonah flashes her another dazzling smile, “Sure thing, Driscoll.” 

  


Buffy rolls her eyes. 

  
  


Inside the arena, Buffy’s heart is hammering against her chest. She was crouched in a corner, hidden away at a deadend, laser gun poised to shoot any intruder. Two seconds into the game, Jonah had wandered off, and Buffy would have been sorely irritated with him if she wasn’t too busy fending off their opponents. The haze of a smoke machine made it hard to think strategically, but she figured she couldn’t be  _ too _ rusty, even if she hadn’t played in two years. As it were, she managed to “kill” a couple members of the opposing teams that had been rounded up for the game, easily taking her team to the top three. 

  


Somewhere off to her right, she heard the distinct sound of a vest buzzing and someone shouting _ come on! _ in response. Carefully, she makes her way to the edge of the walkway, peeking around the corner. Cyrus stood at the other end, shoulders slumped in defeat, his vest lit up bright red, signaling that he was out of the round for the next few minutes. And behind him, looking a strange mix of smug and apologetic, was— _ Jonah Beck _ ? Where had he even been hiding, Buffy wondered. Though, all things considered, Cyrus really wasn’t a difficult mark. She’d gotten him out at the very beginning of the round without even trying. 

  


When Cyrus turned his back, Jonah ducked away, quickly making his way back up the hall, towards Buffy. She tucks back into her hiding space, reaching out to catch the back of his shirt when he walks past. He stumbles down between the blacklight-bright walls, looking confused for a fraction of a second. 

  


“Buffy?” 

  


“Where have you _ been _ ?” She hissed, voice low to keep from being discovered, “I haven’t seen you since the start.” 

  


“I was playing the game.” He replies, squatting down in the corner with her. They fall into a hush when someone rushes past, Jonah quickly raising his gun and firing off a shot that just barely hits the shoulder of the person’s vest. It lights up red, and the player groans, looking around themself as they try to discern who managed to get them out. For a breath, Buffy thinks they’ll be found, with their own vests lit up blue in the dark, but the player passes by without seeing them. “Have  _ you _ just been hiding here?” 

  


Buffy shakes her head, “No. I’ve been trying to win.” 

  


“Without me?” 

  


“You left!” She stands up in a huff, but the quick motion sends her head spinning. Jonah stands with her, placing a hand on her shoulder to steady her. She shakes him off, looking cross. “It’s not my fault you abandoned me.” 

  


He raises his hands in defense, “Okay, okay. I’m sorry, I thought you would have followed after me.” 

  


“Well I didn’t.” 

  


“I know that now. C’mon, let’s get back in the game.” 

  


There’s only a handful of minutes left, and so much of it had been taken up by their arguing. Buffy tamps down her irritation in order to join Jonah back out on the floor, ducking around corners and taking out opponents. As much as she doesn’t want to admit it, Cyrus was right— they make a good team. Jonah has her back as much as she has his, and they both make sure to keep an eye out for other players in each other’s blind spots. 

  


At one point, Buffy would have been taken out for sure if Jonah hadn’t been there to get the offender out of the game before she’d been able to shoot Buffy. 

  


“Thanks,” Buffy said, to which Jonah smiled. God, this boy and his too-bright smile. 

  


“Any time, Driscoll.” 

  


The game ends when the attendant flips the fluorescent lights back on, flooding the playing field with a yellow-light that was too bright for their dark-adjusted eyes. Heading back to the entrance hall, Buffy catches a glimpse of the scoreboard. Their team name  _ The Slayers _ is blinking in bright white lettering—first place. Buffy cheers, knocking her shoulder against Jonah’s to get him to look at the board, too. They high five, overly proud of themselves, and they barely tone it down once they meet up with their friends again. 

  


“See?” Cyrus said once they all met up again, “I told you that you guys would be good together.” 

  
Buffy rolls her eyes, throwing her arm around Cyrus’ shoulder and pulling him close, “Yeah, yeah. Don’t get used to it.” But even as she says it, there’s a tiny part of her that  _ hopes _ . Maybe she’ll team up with Jonah Beck again. After all, the summer was just beginning.

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: heartlessromantik
> 
> come rant about these disaster children with me!


End file.
